Category: News in Brief

Presidential hopefuls differ on GMR: The Hindu

“Both the hopefuls in the Presidential race in Maldives said that they would welcome and encourage foreign direct investment, but differed on the issue of the ousted Male airport operator GMR,” writes R. K. Radhakrishnan for the Hindu newspaper.

“Former President Mohamed Nasheed and former President Maumoon Gayoom’s half-brother, Yaameen Abdulla, are pitted against each other in a second round run-off, scheduled for September 28. The first round, held on September 7, did not throw up a clear winner. To win, a candidate has to garner over 50 per cent of the votes.

Asked if he would invite GMR to come back to manage the Ibrahim Nasir International airport, Nasheed said: ‘We have always been saying that the contract has to be reinstated. Of course it has to go through procedures.’

The Nasheed Government had earlier granted the contract to GMR–MAHB (Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad) to operate the airport.

After he resigned under controversial circumstances on February 7, 2012, the next government, headed by Mohamed Waheed, terminated the contract, claiming it was invalid from the beginning. GMR had slapped a $1.4-billion compensation claim against the Maldives Government in an arbitration that is now underway in Singapore. Yaameen said that the contract was not done properly.

‘Foreign investment and GMR are two different issues. We welcome foreign investment. In the case of GMR, the law was not followed,’ he said, when asked about FDI in general and GMR in particular.

President Mohamed Waheed’s secretary Masood Imad too was of the view that the airport issue should be treated as closed. ‘GMR can come into Maldives with some other project. The Male’ airport is too much an emotional issue,’ he said.

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Democracy, Take Two: Foreign Affairs

“Most of the million tourists who visit the Maldives every year leave without seeing even a hint of the political violence that has shaken the country over the past few years,” writes Eric Randolph for Foreign Affairs.

“Sipping cocktails in secluded island resorts, one would be hard-pressed to imagine that the islanders were, until five years ago, ruled by Asia’s longest-running dictatorship, that hundreds have been seriously injured in street clashes and at least one senior politician stabbed to death in the street in recent years, and that hard-line political Islamists helped to topple the country’s first-ever democratically elected president only last year.

It can also be difficult to believe that what happens here matters to the rest of the world. But stability in the Maldives — a Sunni Muslim nation of 300,000 people scattered across almost 1,200 islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean — is important. The country lies on a major trade route between East Africa and China and could function either as a bulwark against piracy and smuggling or part of the problem.

It also demonstrates the danger of Saudi-funded clerics spreading Islamic militancy to once-moderate Muslim countries, potentially threatening neighboring countries such as India. Finally, as the Maldives holds its first post-coup election, it offers important lessons for other nations in transition. Indeed, the challenges it has faced since introducing its new constitution in 2008 — dealing with the legacy of past authoritarianism and managing the threats unleashed by democracy — reflect those of other countries undergoing rapid change, from Burma to Egypt and beyond.”

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Maldives’ central bank aware of speculation over counterfeit five rufiya notes

The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) is aware of rumors that counterfeit five rufiya notes are in circulation, however they have received no official information or reports from the Maldives Police Service (MPS), reports local media.

The MMA – the Maldives’ central bank – is aware of “speculation” that newly-forged counterfeit currency is circulating in Addu City and other atolls, but no official police reports have been submitted, an official from MMA told local media.

“We have heard this from different sources. But we’ve not received any such information from the police,” the official said.

Police intelligence has received information that approximately 1000 fake five rufiyaa notes entered Hithadhoo ward of Addu City, Addu City police commander Station Inspector Mohamed Hassan told Sun Online last week.

Police intelligence sources obtained a counterfeit note from the group suspected to have brought the money into Addu City, said Hassan.

A layman would not be able to initially determine their (in)authenticity, he added.

Rumors of the counterfeit currency began circulating in Addu City and other atoll islands last week.

“A lot of forged five rufiyaa notes are going around in this island. There are rumors that certain stores are handing out forged five rufiyaa notes as change,” a person from Eydhafushi Island in Baa Atoll told Sun Online.

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MDP MPs alcohol possession case continues

The second hearing into Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Hamed Abdul Ghafoor’s alcohol and cannabis possession case was cancelled today after the accused failed to attend.

A Criminal Court official told Sun Online today that Hamed did not appear at the 10am hearing.

Sun also reported that Hamed’s fellow MDP MP Abdulla Jabir – also accused of possession of alcohol and cannabis – had his passport held by immigration officials when trying to leave the country yesterday.

Jabir’s wife – former Attorney General Dhiyana Saeed – told Sun Online that a passport could only be withheld after announcing the charges against the accused at a first hearing.

Whilst Ghafoor was in attendance at the cases first hearing at the start of the month, Jabir did not. Dhiyana today explained that her husband had not been handed the summons requesting his attendance for this hearing, as he had been campaigning with his party in the atolls.

Both MPs are facing charges of smuggling alcohol into the country and consuming it, as well as possession of cannabis and objecting to urine testing.

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Maldives SAFF run halted in semis

The Maldives suffered a heartbreaking defeat against South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship holders India, losing one-nil to an 86th minute Arnab Mondal goal.

Manager Istvan Urbanyi expressed his extreme disappointment with the way his team were knocked out of the tournament.

“India just tried to kill us in the first 40 minutes… They wanted to hurt which is a provocation. Every single time after 2-3 seconds they just made a tackle. And in the end Sentey (Ali Fasir) got a yellow card for nothing,” Maldivessoccer.com quoted Urbanyi as saying.

The winning goal came after a late corner kick fell kindly to Mondal, who rifled a shot past Maldives keeper Imran Mohamed.

Chaotic scenes accompanied the final whistle, as both Ali Umar and Mohammad Rasheed were dismissed after remonstrating with the referee. Maldivian players were particularly incensed after a 73rd minute penalty appeal from captain Ali Ashfaq was dismissed by the referee, who instead booked the tournament’s top scorer for simulation.

“It’s a penalty, I don’t care about anything it’s a penalty. If you watched the game live it’s a penalty,” said Urbanyi.

“Ashfaq got the ball at the right time, he touched the ball at the right time and the goalkeeper just came and he wanted to stop him. So the contact doesn’t have to be a huge one, it doesn’t have to break Ashfaq legs, if it’s just there and he doesn’t let him go through the normal way it’s a foul. Which is called penalty.”

India will go on to face Afghanistan in the final tomorrow.

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President Waheed meets with delegation of UN election observers

President Dr Mohamed Waheed met with a delegation of election observers representing the United Nations Department of Political Affairs in Male’ yesterday (September 9).

According to the President’s Office, the delegation discussed the election held Saturday (September 7), as well as the second round of voting now scheduled for September 28 after no single candidate was able to secure 51 percent of ballots cast.

Along with commending the government for conducting what it called a free, fair and transparent elections, the UN delegation called for a peaceful run-off vote and “smooth transition” to a new administration once polling was concluded.

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Adhaalath Party to decide on joining PPM tonight

Islamic Minister and spokesperson of Adhaalath Party Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has said that the party council will tonight decide whether to join the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) in the second round of the presidential election, due to be held on September 28.

Local newspapers reported that Shaheem said his party would have a council meeting tonight, make a decision, and have a press conference to announce its final decision.

He said confirmed that the party council members were discussing the matter.

On March 30, the GIP made a coalition agreement with the Adhaalath Party, however the party left the coalition and joined Jumhooree Party (JP) coalition in July.

Yesterday, PPM presidential candidate Abdulla Yameen said that the PPM was in discussion with Adhaalath Party and Gaumee Ittihad Party (GIP) – led by current President Dr Waheed Hassan – as well as the JP.

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Nasheed vindicated but faces tricky run-off: Times of India

Nasheed accused Gayoom of engineering the coup with help of mutinous police and military officers. He had accused tourism tycoons like Ibrahim, angry over his policies like increase of taxes, for bankrolling it, writes Sameer Arshad for the Times of India.

The international community recognised his removal as legitimate power transfer in the Maldives, where stability is crucial for India’s interests as it overlaps the Indian Ocean’s major sea lanes through which 97 percent Indian trade by volume and 75 percent by value pass.

But the first round results have made it clear the Maldivians did not agree. They have voted against the removal of the country’s first democratically-elected president, who earned Amnesty International’s Prisoner of Conscience title for his campaign against Gayoom’s rule.

The Maldivians were fed up with the instability, which followed his ouster and adversely impacted the mainstay of the country’s economy – tourism.

The anxieties over the country’s dented image as a high-end holiday paradise were reflected in Nasheed’s performance on resort islands. Workers chose to vote for him even on the islands that his opponents own.

Nasheed’s proactive approach towards issues like climate change, which poses existential threat to countries like Maldives, along with his social programmes, had earned him a lot of popularity.

These factors contributed to his emphatic comeback despite his arrest twice and questions over his candidacy.

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Security concerns preoccupy polls, says the Guardian and the BBC

Results of today’s presidential election may improve stability not only in the Maldives, but across the Islamic world, reports UK media The Guardian.

“I’ve always said that what happens in Maldives first, happens in the Middle East later,” candidate and former president Mohamed Nasheed told reporters in Male’ earlier this week.

Nasheed’s statement is reciprocated by intensified attention from regional powers, reports the Guardian. Citing India’s commercial and diplomatic ties with the archipelago, and Sri Lanka’s “cultural and other ties”, the publication adds that “China too is keenly interested in developments in the strategically situation island nation.”

The country has pushed for new growth in recent years, however international media note that basic security is a concern for voting Maldivians.

“‘Some Maldivians appear nostalgic for the stability of the long decades of [former president Maumoon Abdul] Gayoom’s rule, particularly elements of the security forces,” writes The Guardian, noting that Maldives Police Chief Abdulla Riyaz thanked Gayoom for founding national police services via Twitter six days ago.

BBC News received similar information from Transparency Maldives, a branch of Transparency International. Group representative Thoriq Hamed said the four candidates had campaigned “smoothly and peacefully,” but stated that there remains “some apprehension and confidence issues about the security forces.”

Other key issues in today’s presidential election highlighted by foreign media include religion, nationalism, gender equality, education and the economy.

Both publications observe that last year’s change in leadership sparked political unrest and generated anxiety over the negative impact on the country’s vital tourism industry. The presidential election is the second multi-party democratic election in the nation’s history, and the first since February 2012’s controversial transfer of power.

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